About Literature – Nikoloz Baratashvili

Nikoloz Baratashvili (Georgian: ნიკოლოზ ბარათაშვილი) was a Georgian poet, affectionately known as Tato (ტატო). Born in Tiflis (Tbilisi) in 1817, Baratashvili died of malaria in Ganja, in Azerbaijan, at the age of 26.

Nikoloz Baratashvili

Unpublished at the time of his death, his poetry did not receive its deserved recognition until later in the 19th century when he became idolized as a great Romanticist poet.

Baratashvili Square in Tbilisi

Baratashvili’s poetry was filled with romantic spirit and revolutionary aspirations in which he expressed deep patriotic feelings. In his historical poem ‘Fate of Georgia’ (ბედი ქართლისა), written at the age of 22, he reproduces a debate that took place between Georgian king Erekle II and his chancellor, Solomon Lionidze, who opposed a union with Russia believing it would result in the loss of Georgia’s national identity.

Baratashvili Square in Tbilisi

Because of his untimely death, Baratashvili’s literary career was very short. He left a mere 37 poems, and yet is considered as one of the greatest Georgian poets.

Statue of Nikoloz Baratashvili in Baratashvili Square, Tbilisi

Baratashvili’s body was returned to Tbilisi in 1893 and since 1938 his remains have lain in the Mtatsminda Pantheon in Tbilisi.